Mugabe warns against white farmers returning to their farms

That's according to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. He was speaking at the glitzy annual Zanu-PF conference in Victoria Falls on Friday.

Mugabe (91) walking quite well but physically supported by his wife, Grace, said “things are not as good as they should be”, and warned Zanu-PF to be careful about colleagues who allowed white farmers back onto the land.

“The settlers who took our land are coming back… they go to a headman and a chief and say we want to help you since you don’t have tractors, and they agree. There are lots of such clever farmers practically in every province,” Mugabe told about 5000 delegates to the conference, which began on Thursday and ends on Saturday.

He pointed to “one of the worst” of these farmers, who he said was Ray Kaukunde, former cabinet minister and a loyalist of former vice president Joice Mujuru, who was expelled from Zanu-PF early this year. 

Kaukunde was also expelled from Zanu-PF along with more then 100 colleagues who were either suspended or kicked out at various levels in the party and civil service since the last congress a year ago.

“Factionalism is eating at the party and causing chaos; we will not allow that to continue,” Mugabe said. “The military, police, and intelligence are now involved and split as well. Let’s stop that.”

Despite the drought and need for food aid, Zanu-PF delegates to the conference heard that Zimbabwe has imported and stockpiled enough maize for at least the next 10 months.

Against a background where the United Nations says one in three rural children is malnourished, western donor agencies have stepped up emergency feeding in ultra dry areas during the ongoing drought and excessive high temperatures.

Away from the microphones in Victoria Falls, several delegates, most of whom are also civil servants, say they are worried that they have not received their annual bonus payments.

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa was publicly humiliated earlier this year when Mugabe contradicted him at Independence Day celebrations shortly after he told parliament that the 2015 and 2016 annual bonus would not be paid.

“We don’t know when we will be paid our 13th cheque,” a senior civil servant said. Prisca Mapfumira, labour and social services minister, told journalists in Harare this week that the security services were likely to be the first to receive their 13th cheque, perhaps before year end. Chinamasa did not refer to the missing bonuses when he addressed the conference after Mugabe finished speaking.

But not all is doom and gloom in Zimbabwe, despite the crippling power shortages of 18 hours a day. Industry Minister Mike Bimha read out a long list of companies which he says revived and emerged from judicial management in the past year. 

ANA

File photo: Gallo Images